This invention relates to the purification and/or sterilization of fluids and in particular to the use of ultraviolet ray emissions for sterilization of fluids.
Conventional ultraviolet germicidal purification systems generally comprise a purification chamber having a plurality of ultraviolet lamps applying germicidal ultraviolet light radiation to the liquid flowing through said chamber. The ultraviolet radiation intensity and the total ultraviolet radiation dosage thus imparted to the liquid are respectively a function of number of ultraviolet lamps, the radiation intensity of each lamp and the exposure time. Accordingly, in order to control the ultraviolet radiation dosage being administered to the fluid, it is essential to monitor the operation of each ultraviolet lamp in the purification chamber. Such monitoring is particularly important where large flow rates of liquid are being handled such as in water purification systems.
Prior liquid purification systems comprised tanks each of which typically had a capacity of about 30-40 gpm connected in parallel in order to treat larger volumes of water. Such systems required complicated piping manifolds, specialized hydraulic controls to ensure equal flow rates through the respective tanks, which caused substantial pressure loss through the overall system. Furthermore, with increasing capacity thereof, such systems incorporated large numbers of ultraviolet lamps which made it difficult to monitor the radiation outputs thereof.
In the system of the present invention, a simple large purification chamber is provided becoming banks of ultraviolet lamps distributed therein whereby large volumes of liquid may be treated without the need for piping manifolds, and specialized hydraulic controls as in the prior systems which required a flow control device for each of the several tanks. As a result, in the system of the present invention, large volumes of liquid may be treated without incurring significant pressure losses due to restrictions in flow.
Furthermore, in the system of the present invention dosage administered to the fluid in the chamber may be easily and selectively varied by switching on selected banks of ultraviolet lamps in accordance with the flow rate through the purification chamber, thereby conserving energy and ultraviolet lamp usuage.
Furthermore, in the system of the present invention, the ultraviolet lamp radiation sensors may be movably located within the chamber and selectively oriented to detect the level of ultraviolet radiation from selected lamps at various locations.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a system for monitoring the operation of ultraviolet lamps in a fluid purification chamber.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a monitoring system of the characher described which monitors the ultraviolet radiation dosage imparted to the liquid being treated and the operative condition of each of said lamps and the ultraviolet transmission quality of the fluid passing through said purification chamber.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a monitoring system of the character described which provides an automatic alarm and fail-safe protection in the event of malfunction or failure in any of said ultraviolet lamps.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a monitoring system of the character described which is operative to locate the particular lamps(s) which malfunctions or fails.